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A thief who tried to steal a wave runner was shot and killed by one of its owners. (Published Sunday, May 22, 2011)

Updated at 9:37 AM EDT on Sunday, May 22, 2011

A man attempting to steal a wave runner from a prominent attorney's waterfront home in Miami Shores was shot and killed during a confrontation with one of the residents.

Police say the would-be thief entered a patio at the residence of attorney Jeffrey Davis and his wife Yasmin around 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

He then made his way to the backyard, where he used an extension cord to lower a wave runner into the water behind the home.

A woman and a teenaged boy -- believed to be Davis' wife and son -- were home during the incident, and a confrontation ensued.

According to police, the thief threatened the pair and claimed he was armed. One of them shot and killed the man, his body falling into Biscayne Bay.

Investigators are not yet sure whether the woman or the teenager pulled the trigger.

"It appears that this man made some sort of threat that he was armed toward the residents and it appears that was the point the person inside -- we don't know if it was the mother or this teenager -- shot and killed him," said Miami-Dade Police Detective Roy Rutland.

"It does appear that he was making threats to harm whoever was in this home who shot him."

Authorities are also searching for an accomplice they believe dropped the man off at the dock of the home in the 9200 block of North Bayshore Drive.

News records show the Davis family was targeted by armed robbers once before, in 2009, and neighbors say their once-quiet neighborhood has experienced more than a few robberies of late.

"You can't live in fear," said a woman who lives near the Davis home, "but you think twice."